UPDATE: All these years later, I'm still using this card organizer to store and sort my greeting cards. I'm happy to report that it's a system that really works. I'm even using the same categories. Now I'm keeping it filled with the latest card designs from my company like these Mother's Day seed cards and favorite card companies like Rifle Paper and Kate + Birdie.
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How to Organize Greeting Cards
In keeping with my resolution to send more birthday cards, I realized that I needed a better a way to keep the cards organized and at the ready. The cardboard shoe box with the hastily-written divider papers wasn't working. The cards kept flopping over and getting damaged and the box was too fussy to take in and out of the cupboard.
So I set out to set up a system for organizing and storing my greeting cards, and here's what I ended up today:
Step 1 - Choose a Card Organizer
I found this plastic card box at a local store called For Space Sake which unfortunately doesn't have the item on their website, but you can find it at the Container Store and it's called the Clear Card Keeper for $13.99.
The box has removable plastic dividers that fit into channels on the side of the box. I went to the store to check it out and liked it enough to buy it.
See? Cool removable dividers with a nice solid feel.
Step 2 - Decide on Categories & Make Labels
My next step was to decide on the card categories that I needed, and then make labels. I pulled out all of my cards from the shoebox and put them on the counter. I then sorted into as many categories as I needed - Birthday, Easter, Christmas, Baby, Love, and even Halloween.
Using my P-Touch, I made labels for the dividers.
I ended up with this set of categories, lumping all of the uncommon card-giving occasions like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Retirement into "Other" at the back.
Step 3 - Fill the Card Organizer
This is the step that I loved the most! It was time to put the cards into the appropriate slot. Here's a Birthday Card going into the Birthday category.
And here's a package of Valentine's Day Cards left over from this year. They're unpersonalized so I can use them again next year.
When I was done, the cards were neat and tidy in their new home. And then it was obvious that some slots were more bare than others, and I realized that I need to replenish some of my more popular card-giving occasions. So next on my list will be to stock up on Birthday cards to make sure that I'm ready when a birthday comes up.
Happy organizing!
